


Green-Eyed Monster

by RKG



Category: Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-03-09 12:55:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13481922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RKG/pseuds/RKG
Summary: Varian is given an interesting plea deal.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I got another Tangled fanfic with a dragon in it, but I decided to make this one a bit less... derpy. ;)

Four years was a long time to be in prison.

Varian had pretty much given up hope of ever getting out, and even if he did no one trusted him anymore so he would have to leave Corona as soon as he was released. He had hoped to die during one of the many bouts of pneumonia that the prisoners often got, but the disease never seemed to claim him. Just other, weaker 'more fortunate' prisoners as he thought of them nowadays.

One day, the Head of Guard came to him.

" _They're finally going to hang me_." he thought glumly. " _Good._ "

"Good news, kid." said the Captain. "You're getting out."

Varian looked unsettled. "Out...?"

"Yup, the King has decided to pardon you, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Old Corona was invaded by a dragon. We need your talent to beat it back."

Varian blinked. "A d-dragon...?"

"Yeah, it razed half the village."

"My Dad!"

The Captain shook his head. "We couldn't find him, kid."

His Dad was dead... truly, and finally dead.

"I'm really sorry."

Varian thought about it for a moment, he truly had no one now, with the exception of Ruddiger, and Ruddiger could kind of fend for himself. There was no one to go home to, no reason to go home, really.

"Why should I accept?"

"Should you live, you get pardoned. If you don't... then you don't have to worry about it anymore, kid."

Varian felt hollow inside.

"Fine." he agreed. At least if he died fighting a dragon, he'd die on his own terms.

~*~*~*~

Cassandra was angry.

"WHAT?!" she screamed. "What do you mean I have to bunk with the 'secret weapon', what on earth, Dad?!"

"Trust me, it's not the arrangement I wanted either, but the King, in the name of being merciful thought that the kid could help against this dragon."

"By doing what? Dying it bright purple?!" she demanded. "That's just going to make it angrier!"

"The King said the kid has a talent." shrugged the Captain. 

"Yeah for getting into trouble!"

"If he lives, he's pardoned." said the Captain. "That's how the King wants it."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Why do I have to bunk with him, though? Get Stan or Pete!"

The Captain thought about telling her the truth, but thought better of it. She didn't need to know now. The reason he had recruited Varian was because he secretly didn't want his daughter in battle. He had to let her go as a member of the guard, but he also wanted her to have the best chance of survival. Varian was expendable, he was _her_ first line of defense.

That, and no one wanted the job.

Of course he wasn't going to tell her that.

"I don't make the orders, Cassandra, I just follow them." he said quietly.

~*~*~*~

The next day, Varian was glad to finally be shackle free. Of course he had to carry what was easily twice his weight on his back on a hike through the mountains, but after being in a dark, dank cell for four years, it was a welcome change of scenery. When they finally got to the camp, he was starved. He took out some of the rations in his pack and looked mournfully at them.

" _What I wouldn't give for a ham sandwich right now_..." he thought mournfully, munching on whatever the thing in his pack classified itself to be. It was rather stale and only slightly more palatable than the stuff they had served in the dungeon.

"Needs... something." he muttered bitterly.

"Come on, kid." said Cassandra. "You gotta help me set up."

"Set up what?"

"The tent."

Varian gave her a skeptical look but complied. "Alrighty then."

He had only been camping a handful of times in his life, so he was a bit rusty at his tent skills.

"Oh for crying out loud." growled Cassandra, taking the rope away from him."That's not how you make a lasting knot!"

"Sorry, the last time I went camping I was 8." he apologized. Unfortunately, he had never been good at knots either.

"Ugh, you're slowing us down, kid. Just hold the tent pole instead, okay?"

"Alright." Varian felt bad... first day of freedom and he'd already screwed it up.

He watched Cassandra sigh as she finished the rest of the tent. 

"There, hopefully we can bed down for the night and--"

"We?"

"Yeah, Varian, _we_. You're the secret weapon, so I need to guard you."

Varian blinked. "If I'm the secret weapon, wouldn't it be the other way around?"

Cassandra burst out laughing.

"It's not that big of a stretch." scoffed Varian, hands on hips.

"Whatever keeps you warm at night, kid." commented Cassandra. "We have to be up early, tomorrow we go tracking."

"Tracking the dragon?"

"Yeah."

"Can't we just follow the destruction?"

"We could, but that would mean we got there too late. We want to try and get this dragon before it causes anymore destruction."

Varian looked down, thinking of his Dad. He wondered, in his last moments, if he had felt the Dragon's breath or if he had already been gone, just preserved in amber for all those years.

"Yeah wouldn't want anymore of that." he agreed, trying not to look up at her.

Cassandra glanced at Varian worriedly, but didn't say anything. She wondered if he knew about his Dad.

Suddenly her train of thought was diverted by a snort of laughter.

It was Andrew, or more appropriately, Hubert. Apparently Varian wasn't the only prisoner that the King had let out for this mission.

"Well, well, if it isn't the devil herself!" he crowed. "How have you been, Cassie?"

Cassandra's eyes narrowed.

"Just fine, thank you very much." she growled

Varian noticed the way this stranger was leering at Cassandra, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Aw, where's the love, Cassie?" he crooned.

"Up your ass, Andrew." spat Cassandra.

Suddenly, one of the other guards came and clapped Andrew on the back. "Okay, time to stop harrassing the lady and help the rest of us set up camp, useless."

Cassandra sighed as Andrew was led away, this mission was not turning out how she had hoped.

Varian sidled over to her. "If you don't mind me asking, who was that?"

"A saporian separatist I helped bust years ago. We had a history.. i-it's complicated." Cassandra looked uncomfortable.

"Oh." said Varian. 

"I don't know why the king let him out." she grumbled. "I guess he needed somebody with good sword skills."

"Did he free every prisoner to go fight this thing?"

"I... don't know." said Cassandra. "I'll have to ask my Dad."

Varian couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable this guy had made Cassandra, his presence had rattled her. He wasn't sure the past between them, but suddenly he felt a pang of jealousy rush through his core.

" _Whoa, where'd that come from_?"

Once upon a time, he'd had a crush on Cassandra, and she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, but he knew that being behind bars for four years... no girl wanted that. So he'd kind of resigned himself to letting that part of life be lived vicariously through story and song. Still, he sort of wished that he had half a chance.

" _Oh well_." he sighed, quickly banishing the thought from his mind.


	2. Follow the trail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When tragedy happens, Cassandra turns to Varian for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got some inspiration on this story!!! And I'm sorry but I'm really not good at writing epic battle scenes. ^_^;;;

Cassandra had said that if they waited to follow the destruction left by the dragon, that it would be too late...

Little did they know that the destruction was coming to them.

The horses being on edge should have been a clue, but no one was paying attention to them. 

Hindsight is 20/20, they say.

No one even heard the dragon until it was too late. Even then, it was almost silent, the only thing that clued them in was a gust of stray wind and the sound of a giant, leathery wing slicing the air.

"What was--"

The gust of wind was accompanied by a riptide of flame and a loud roar. 

"FORMATION!" shouted the Captain, Cassandra got right up beside her Dad.

"No, Cassandra!" cried her Father. "You get behind me."

"Dad, I'm second-in-commad--"

"Which means you get behind me!" he ordered. 

Cassandra didn't like where this was going but she did as she was told.

"What do I do?!" hissed Varian.

"Whatever you want!" cried Cassandra, rushing off.

Great, they'd had no time to prepare for this and he didn't know what the hell to do! He quickly grabbed a whatever weapon he could find--which at the moment was a stray spatula, and got at the back of the line.

It all happened in a flash, all the training they had gone through all came down to that very moment and even then nothing prepared them for the exact moment for when the beast struck.

"FIRE!" cried the Captain, the Archers lifted their arrows and aimed at the mighty beast

The next few moments were a blur, but it didn't take a genius to realize that they were on the losing end. The arrows didn't make a dent in the dragon's leathery-hide, the only thing that might have made a difference would've been a cannon ball, however, they couldn't bring cannons into the mountains.

The skirmish only took a few minutes, soon the dragon was flying off with a mighty roar, their captain in its claws.

"DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Cassandra, chasing after him.

"CASSANDRA!!!!"

She tossed a sword up at him, the Captain managed to catch it and took a swing at the dragon's claws, but the blade slipped out his hand and fell, with a terrified look the Captain disappeared over the mountains, still stuck in the beast's grip.

"DAAAAAAD!!!" Cassandra screamed, chasing after the dragon. 

The rest of the troop mounted up and followed her on horseback, but to no avail, the dragon was too quick and soon disappeared over the horizon.

Varian watched as Cassandra picked up the blade she had tossed to her father. For a moment her hand shook violently, then she turned towards the troop, determination in her eyes.

"We're not resting until this beast is DEAD! You hear me? DEAD!!!"

Everyone slowly nodded.

~*~*~*~ 

Everyone was still in shock over the Captain's sudden demise. King Frederick sent his condolences, but that's not all.

"My Dad suddenly disappeared and suddenly he wants me to come back from this mission and be Raps' handmaiden again? Not a chance!" scoffed Cassandra. "Not right now!"

"The King meant well, Cas." said Stan. "He thought you might need some time, after--"

"The only thing I need is to mount that thing's head on my wall." muttered Cassandra, running a whetstone down her blade.

"Cassandra..." said Pete softly. "That thing isn't going down with brute force alone. You saw it... I... I think the king may be right."

"What are you saying?!" she cried.

"I don't think there's any saving your Dad... or anyone else for that matter." continued Pete. 

"Are you kidding me?!" Cassandra hadn't meant for her voice to break. "I know my Dad, he can survive anything! He was wearing armor, that thing couldn't pierce it, you saw that!"

Stan nodded. "Cas... dragons breathe fire."

"I don't CARE!" she roared. "My Dad is still alive, I know it!"

Varian's heart broke for her, at one time he had been in that very same position, saying those very same words to some well-meaning village women. He remembered how he'd raged at them, scared them even, he had been so heartbroken back then, so defensive... even thought he'd been holding back, it was no wonder they'd called him dangerous. 

However, Cas wasn't holding back. The wound was too fresh, too deep, for her to hold back.

"I expected better out of you, Pete!" she raged. "You and I both know my Dad wouldn't go down without a fight!"

"How on earth is he supposed to fight a dragon without a sword, Cas?!"

"He had a sword on him he just couldn't pull it out of its scabbard!" she cried.

"Cas, just c-calm down..." muttered Stan.

"Calm DOWN?!" she cried. "I'm not calming down and I'm not about to go back to that castle with my tail between my legs like a whipped dog! We're not pulling back until it's GONE!"

"Yes ma'am..." said Stan and Pete, both looking sadly at her.

When they left, Varian watched as her heart slowly broke in front of him. It wasn't noticeable at first, but with every pass of the whetstone a tear rolled down her cheek. He knew how she felt, he had been there, once upon a time.. and even though there had been no one to be there for him back then, he couldn't help but think how nice it would've been if someone had been.

"C-Cassie?" he said softly.

She scrubbed her eyes and turned away from him.

"What do you want?"

"I-I'm... sorry about your Dad..."

"It happens." she muttered shakily.

"It's not supposed to."

"No... no it's not supposed to happen, especially when you have an entire guard backing you up and the best weapons at your disposal!" she growled, her voice dangerously close to breaking. "But it happens anyway because that's just how life is!" her shoulders shook violently.

"I'm sorry."

Cassandra wanted to rage, wanted to ask him where the hell he had been when her Dad was getting carried off by that beast, but there really hadn't been a thing he or anyone could have done. Right now the only thing she could do was cry, and she hated it. She hated feeling powerless.

Varian knew he was endangering his life by doing so, but he couldn't stand watching her cry. He gathered up his courage, crossed the space between them and enveloped her in a hug. 

Something broke inside Cassandra. Her Dad had been the only family she had left in the world and now she didn't even have him, and it frightened her. For one second she was back in the orphanage, all alone in the dark. For one second she wanted to scream her head off and never stop. For one second she felt like the world was tumbling about her ears.

Then she realized something.

She had one of Corona's deadliest, most powerful enemies in her court, on her side even, giving her a hug.

She drew away from him, sniffling.

"I need a favor..."

"What is it?"

"Something that could kill a dragon."

Varian blinked. "W-What do you mean?"

"Since brute force isn't going to take it down, we need something that can topple it from a distance, or at least weaken it so that we can go in there and finish slaying it."

Was she asking for his knowledge of Alchemy to kill a dragon...? It certainly looked like it.

"A-Are you sure? Wouldn't want to violate any kind of ethics you guys have--"

"Since when do you care about ethics? You tried to squeeze me to death with a giant death-bot!"

"Automa--"

Varian's voice died in his throat as he noticed her glare at his arms around her form, slowly he let them slip to his sides. "Um..."

"It won't be violating anything if we manage to kill it. I need to get my Dad back... and by the way, this thing got your Dad too."

She had a point, he hadn't really thought if it that way. His Dad had been gone for so long that he hadn't really processed the fact that he had technically been killed by a Dragon. Suddenly the wound was as fresh as it had been back in Old Corona.

"What do you need?"


	3. Good Morning, Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain is a survivor, and so is someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE CAPTAIN IS FULL OF BACKHANDED COMPLIMENTS.

Quirin had awoke to the feel of molten amber melting off him.

He had tried to run, but so many years of his limbs being in one position had made them fail him. Instead he ended up being carried off by a pair of sharp talons. However for some reason, they hadn't even so much as nicked him. Normally, a dragon would pierce its prey through the torso and kill it instantly, but this dragon was different, it was almost as if it had a purpose for carrying him off.

He was tossed down into a dragon's lair, but he wasn't alone... there were others there, others that he had heard, even through the amber, were thought to be missing or dead, and they were all terrified.

Imagine his surprise when none other than the Captain of the Corona Guard was tossed in one day. 

"Captain?"

"Quirin?!"

They both stared at each other for a full moment.

"I thought you were dead!" cried the Captain.

"I thought you would be when you hit the ground." observed Quirin. "H-How is Varian... did he escape?"

The Captain hedged, he really didn't want to be the one to break it to Quirin that his son was thought of as one of Corona's most dangerous criminals, but there was no way to contact the King.

"Quirin... there's no easy way to say this, but... Varian's been in the dungeon for the last four years.

"Dungeon?! WHAT?!" he cried.

The Captain began the tale of what happened shortly after Quirin became encased in amber, and ended with, "But don't worry, he's out on parole. He's going to help the Royal Coronian Guard kill this dragon."

Quirin paled. "Y-You're pitting _my_ son against a Dragon?!"

The Captain shrugged. "He's more capable than you think, Quirin. How do you think he got locked up in the first place?"

~*~*~*~

Varian awoke slightly before Cassandra, he watched as the morning light illuminated her features and bit back a sigh. He shouldn't be staring at her like this, but he couldn't help it. After all, she was pretty easy to look at, but he wa sure she hated him. After all, he had tried to kill her once, and really... she had every right to do so. It still hurt to think about however, because deep down inside, Cassandra was the only girl he could ever imagine himself with. He dare not say anything though, because he was pretty sure it would get him killed, especially now.

He watched her eyes flutter open and instantly looked away, pretending to stretch.

Cassandra sat up and slumped over, rubbing her eyes.

"Is it sunrise already?" she asked.

Varian peeked out of the tent, the sun was just coming up over the horizon.

"Almost." he answered.

"Okay, so the dragon went north west yesterday." she muttered, rolling up her bedroll. "Gotta get the troops fed, get up, head out. Hey, Varian?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you tell my Da--" her voice died in her throat. He gave her a sympathetic look.

Varian couldn't tell her Dad anything. No one could tell her Dad anything anymore.

"Cassandra, if you want to stay in-camp today, everybody'll understand." said Varian softly.

She turned away. "No, we have to continue tracking it. Also, we have to start gathering supplies."

He blinked. "I-I'll need some Hemlock."

"Got it." she wrote it down. "Anything else?"

"Digitalis."

"What's that?"

"Fox glove."

"We can gather those while tracking the dragon." she muttered. "What else?"

"Night shade."

"That too.. how much?"

"If it's going to bring down a dragon, I'll need a lot of it."

"Show me what they look like." she ordered.

He took out a small, leather-bound book and showed her the illustrations.

"Okay so Hemlock, Night Shade, Digi... Fox Glove. And what'll that do?"

"Enough of that will kill the dragon, Hemlock attacks the nervous system, fox glove causes heart failure, Night Shade can be used as a sedative... if you can't find that, Oleander will work too."

"Why would we want to sedate it? I want it to suffer!"

"You want an angry, wounded dragon thrashing around gasping for breath and killing everybody in its path or do you want it pleasantly numb so you can go in there and get your Dad back?" reasoned Varian. 

Cassandra hated to admit it, but he was right.

"Fine." she conceded.

"Trust me, I want to make it suffer too." said Varian bitterly. "But... realistically..." he sighed.

"I get it." she said, taking a shaky breath.

He put his hand on her arm. "Cassandra, you don't have to do this today."

"I can't stand around while my Dad is off fighting a dragon. I have to do something, Varian." she ground out, storming out of the tent.

Varian sighed and shook his head as he followed her outside. Today was going to prove interesting, that was for sure.

~*~*~*~

After a few hours, the phrase "blood in the water" had been well-illustrated.

Without her Dad there, the guards were a lot harder to handle and a lot more disrespectful. Stan and Pete were okay, but they weren't everyone. It was soon made clear that half the guard didn't take Cassandra seriously as Head of Guard. When they weren't complaining or giving her a hard time, they were outright balking her orders. Cassandra was handling it well, all things considered... with the exception of Andrew.

"You know," he said, slinking up behind her. "I could help you."

Cassandra snorted. "Over a fence, right?"

"Cassandra, I'm shocked, you don't trust me?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, An--Hubert."

"You can still call me Andrew." he winked at her, suddenly she wished she could go back to the castle and scrub herself until she felt clean again.

"I have no reason to trust you." she snipped, walking away from him.

He blocked her exit. "You have no reason not to trust me. After all, I'm the only one you have a history with, darling."

"These guards have known me since I was 6."

"And they still think of you like a 6 year old." sighed Andrew sadly. "What you need is an enforcer. Someone to back you up." as if on cue he reached around and touched the small of her back. "I could do that." 

She sidestepped him.

"No thank you." 

"Alright, but... you don't realize what you're doing, Cassandra." he said sadly. "You're really alienating the rest of the guards. They'd listen to a guy like me."

"Andrew, you're a prisoner. I'm a guard. Things were only different when you were a free man, before you were a traitor to the crown." she said evenly.

"They could be different again, Cassie. You know, I never actually stopped liking you..." his hand slid up her arm, again she slipped from his grasp.

"NO, Andrew!" she spat. "That's FINAL!"

"Fine then." he growled. "But don't be surprised if things get more difficult for you, _Cassie_." he sneered, sauntering off.

Cassandra couldn't help but feel like she had just earned herself a mutiny.


	4. Raising a little hell...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaand the other shoe drops. Also, Varian may not exactly be a villain anymore but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy the idea of sweet revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know who the villain was gonna be tbh, so I took a shot. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Also I've been watching the Soaptears' Varian-centered animatic to 'Raise a little Hell' and was a wee bit inspired. ;D Teehee!! (Here's the link, in case ya'll are wondering what I'm talking about. https://youtu.be/Lv9bF8mbnDg )

The Head of Guard thought that it wasn't odd that he wasn't eaten on the first day, after all, dragons are reptiles, they don't eat every day and have to wait for their food to digest, but when he wasn't gobbled up by the third day, the Captain began to worry.

"Quirin, how long have you been here?"

"Two weeks at last count."

"So, about the time that the village was razed."

Qurin shrugged. "I'd guess so."

"Has anyone else been here besides the dragon?"

"The only time its left is when I've heard flute music."

"So no one's been in here?"

"Not that I've seen." Quirin shook his head.

"So if it's not going to eat us, what is it doing?"

"It's guarding us."

"Why?"

"I have a feeling we don't want to find out." Quirin shuddered.

~*~*~*~ 

After a lot of convincing, the guards went to chop down the flowers that Varian had requested.

"This is the stupidest request I think I've ever had." muttered one guard.

"Yeah, it's pointless. We're a trained army and she's havin' us cut down flowers? Typical woman."

Cassandra couldn't stand it anymore.

"Those 'flowers' happen to be deadly poisonous and they're going to help us bring down the dragon!" she exploded.

"Did you little alchemist boyfriend tell you that?" sneered Andrew.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Oh stuff it, Andrew! It's scientifically proven fact that all of these plants are poisonous. Read a book sometime!"

"She's right." said Stan. "They are deadly poison, that's why we're boiling our gloves afterward."

" _Too bad I can't use the remaining water in Andrew's stew_." thought Varian darkly. He could, but it would be really suspicious if he did. Besides, if he did kill Andrew, it would only serve to make Cassandra hate him further, obviously they had a romantic history together, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. As much as that stung and made him want to throttle Andrew, for Cassandra's sake he wouldn't... at least not unless Andrew made a move to hurt her, then he would pay dearly. Of course he knew Cassandra wasn't his to defend, but if it came down to helping her, then he definitely would.

"But it's gonna take a ton of this stuff to even make the dragon feel woozy!" Andrew pointed out. 

"That's why we're working!" insisted Cassandra. "We need every ounce of it we can get! And if you need confirmation, why don't you ask Corona's enemy number one over there?" 

Varian chuckled and gave a little smile and wave to the rest of the guards. He was greeted by mumbling and eyerolling. Of course he was, he expected as much. All things considered though, he was kind of old news... maybe he needed to remind them of what they were dealing with? The possibilities delighted him, but Cassandra would draw and quarter him personally if he tried to keep the guards in line for her. So there went that idea. 

"I still think there's an easier way than making a poison that may or may not work."

"Oh, it'll work." assured Varian. "I just need enough of it to ensure a quick kill."

"Quick? After what he did to your Captain, you want quick? Listen to the kid, Cassandra, if I didn't know better he was taking the dragon's side!"

Varian glared at him. "I am not!"

"Are you one of those whiners that think dragons have feelings too?"

"Yeah, Cassandra!" cried a few other guards.

"Guys, I'm looking out for your safety, if we strike from a distance there's a chance none of us will get eaten. If we go in there half-cocked we'll all get slaughtered! You saw our weapons, they weren't making a dent in it!"

Andrew shook his head. "Why not call for reinforcements? Corona's got allies, with maybe even better weapons."

"Right now, this Dragon is Corona's problem! If we can fight it on our own then there's no need for us to involve other Kingdoms! Once it crosses our border, then it's another kingdom's problem. We have to prevent that from happening!"

"We got a little over five miles until it reaches Dos Equus, and then what?"

"That's why we're taking action now, Andrew! I've trained with the guard since I was six, Andrew, I think I know what I'm doing!"

"You're emotional right now, Cassandra."

"MY EMOTIONS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MY MILITARY DECISIONS!" she roared. "Now stop yakking and start CUTTING! Or I will see to it that you go back to the dungeon _permanently_."

Andrew was too glad of his sudden freedom to risk that.

"Fine." he muttered, starting to cut down the weeds with his sword.

"As for the rest of you, does anybody else think I'm too emotional to lead? Because I have a Claymore that's going to tell you otherwise!" yelled Cassandra.

The guards shook their heads nervously.

"Alright then, start cutting!"

"Thanks for the back-up, Cas." he offered.

"So far, you're the only one who hasn't given me lip about _anything_." snorted Cassandra. "I don't get why they're giving me hell now!"

" _I could use the mood modifying potion_ ;" thought Varian, " _Make them more agreeable_." but no, Cassandra would definitely slaughter him for that.

"I... I don't either." he said softly.

"How long will it take to make the potion?" she asked, not looking at him. 

"Just a few days to perfect it." said Varian.

"Is there any way to speed up the process?"

"Only if I find a test subject."

Cassandra stared at him. "What kind of test subject would you need?"

"Preferably something not very cute that no one really cares about." said Varian uneasily. "The bigger the test subject, the better. That way I can gauge the proper dosage better."

Cassandra looked down. "Oh."

"But if you wait a few days for the potion to cure, I can do it without killing anything except the Dragon."

Cassandra sighed. "I suppose I can wait. No one deserves to die but that miserable beast. Besides, m-my Dad..."

She trailed off, not looking at him.

He patted her hand. "Cassandra..."

"My Dad is gone anyway..." she whispered, hanging her head.

He squeezed her hand gently, she sniffled and turned away.

From behind a tree, Andrew spied them. He knew he couldn't get into Cassandra's head, but perhaps he could get into Varian's. After all, it's not like the kid could fight so he was relying solely on his alchemy knowledge to help the guards, but unlike Cassandra who had known the guards since she was six, Varian was well and truly alone. Without that kid, the entire 'poison the dragon' operation was a lost cause, then he, Lady Caine, and the Pied Piper could finally meet up at their rendevoux and be done with it.

Yes, Andrew had a vested interest in keeping this dragon alive... at least until the Pied Piper could attack Corona... with her own forces. Then they could employ that little runt to kill the dragon, and afterward they could all take turns feeding him to it. Andrew hated Varian, he hated most of the prisoners in the Corona dungeon, but Varian was a whiny kid that they should have sent to the gallows years ago in his opinion. He wasn't cut out for prison life and he'd wondered why pneumonia or some other horrendous disease hadn't gotten him by now. It seemed Fate was keeping him alive out of pure pity.

The kid had always been reckless, so it was time someone made use of that. Andrew could clearly see he had a thing for Cassandra, the miserable bat. Maybe in some alternate universe it was what passed for sweet, puppy love but Andrew could only think about how truly pathetic it was. A kid like Varian with a crush on a woman like Cassandra? Not that he faulted his taste exactly, but it would just never work, and he was pretty sure that on some level the kid knew this. Now all he had to do was remind him...

~*~*~*~

Later that day, the guard had stopped their mumbling long enough to realize that there was a veritable ton of Water Hemlock growing on the side of a waterfall, all they had to do was climb up the side of it to get it.

"There has to be a better way." muttered Stan as he slid down the slippery embankment for the fourth time.

"Let me try!" volunteered Pete, who was considerably lighter than Stan. He made it about halfway up before sliding down in a similar manner to Pete. Several other guards tried, but no matter what, it seemed that the water hemlock was out of reach.

"It's way up on that rock, I can't get up there!" said one guard.

"It's too high, we'll never be able to reach it." muttered another.

"You guys are really ticking me off!" cried Cassandra, racing past the unsure guards and vaulting onto the slippery rock that held the hemlock.

"CASSANDRA!" cried Stan and Pete in unison, watching in horror as her foot slipped and Cassandra flipped backward onto one of the rocks below.

"Owww..." she muttered, struggling to get up, the rock was very slippery.

"Need help?" asked a voice, it was Andrew.

She stuck out her hand defiantly. 

"If you please."

He smiled at her, grasping her hand.

"What do you say to your second-in-command?"

"I say not on your life!" she snarled.

"Woops!" said Andrew, letting go of her hand, causing Cassandra to scramble for purchase on the slippery rock and fall. 

Fortunately, the soft mud around the bank cushioned her fall... though now she was completely filthy.

"Cassandra!" Varian knelt beside her. "Are you alright?"

Mud or not, the fall had been hard enough to almost knock the wind out of her, it hurt to breathe.

"Y-Yes." she rasped.

He stared up at Andrew, eyes narrow. He had seen him mouth something to her right before letting go of her hand, he couldn't hear what was being said but it was pretty obvious that Andrew meant to hurt her badly.

Before Varian could offer his hand, Stan and Pete were over, helping her up.

"We're sorry, Cassandra." they apologized profusely, regretting their earlier mumblings. 

"I'll get the plant." said Varian. "You guys make sure she's alright, please?" he asked nicely. After all, Stan and Pete were okay... some days they had been the only reason he'd eaten in the dungeon.

"Sure thing, kid." said Stan.

Varian left them to go up the side of the bank and get the plant. On his way, he met Andrew, who was carefully making his way down the bank so that he wouldn't fall. Varian grabbed his lapel roughly and dragged him back up the bank.

"You're coming with me."

"HEY!" cried Andrew, surprised that Varian was stronger than he looked. "What do you mean?!"

"You let go of her on purpose!" hissed Varian. "I saw you!"

Andrew snorted. "I don't see why you insist on being so chivalrous now." he mocked. 

"I guess you're not well-acquainted with the idea." Varian commented, side-eyeing him. 

"Oh, I'm well-acquainted with it alright. I'm also well-acquainted with the fact that at one time, you tried to kill her."

"So did you!" Varian shot back.

"At least my method was more honest." laughed Andrew. "I tried simple hand-to-hand combat, but you... you kicked it up a notch I hear. A death-bot, really?"

"Automaton and why am I discussing this with you?!"

"I don't know, you're the one that brought me along." Andrew shrugged. 

"I'd rather have you over here bothering me than bothering Cassandra any longer."

"Cassandra can take care of herself, obviously. But you could use a friend."

It was Varian's turn to snort. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, you and the Stabbington Brothers looked real close, last time I checked." snarked Andrew. "Come on, kid. We're both the same, you and me."

"No we're not!" declared Varian hotly. "Now stand behind me while I get this plant."

Andrew rolled his eyes, he had to credit the kid for not being swayed by the first argument. "Fine."

Varian made sure to step directly in front of Andrew while grabbing for the plant.

"What're you doing?"

Varian didn't answer until he had plucked the plant from its place on the rock. 

"Simple, if I fell, you were going to break my fall."

Andrew's eyes narrowed. "Kid, I really wouldn't make an enemy out of me if I were you. We still gotta work together on this."

"I'm not the one that's undermining the leader." said Varian. 

"She's not a leader, she's a lady-in-waiting--"

"She's Lord Commandress in the Captain's absence!"

"In name _only_." Andrew insisted. "And if you think that telling me that going after her with that giant squeezing death machine wasn't in the least bit satisfying, then I'll know you're _lying_."

That was it. Varian snapped.

Andrew was on the ground, holding his jaw.

It only took a minute for the rest of the guards to grab them and haul them away from each other, but in the brief seconds that Varian stood over the older man, grinning deviously, he had to admit that Andrew was right about one thing.

 _It felt good_.


	5. Catalyst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian reaches his breaking point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone gets bent out of shape here, Varian's an adult. He's 18! Also, no one's a thot, they were just kissing! ;) Also, if you think its out of character for Cassandra to be soft, I don't think it is. Besides, she had to have some of Raps' personality rub off on her.

It was only a few minutes later that he realized the punch he'd landed had sent Andrew halfway down the embankment and he'd ended up being stuck head-first in a mud hole.

Varian couldn't help it, he cracked up laughing. Which of course made him look mad to the guards that had carried him off, but it was honestly a reflex. He had never actually landed a punch before and while his hand ached, his ego howled with delight. 

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" asked Cassandra.

"Cassandra!" he cried. 

Suddenly he realized he was in trouble.

"You attacked another prisoner!"

"He was distracting me from getting the hemlock!" cried Varian. He was too ashamed to tell her what Andrew had said, it would mean a quick death for Andrew, and while that would be satisfying it would be even more so to watch him suffer.

She went over and inspected Andrew, besides a sore jaw and a face full of mud, he looked to be alright. 

"Andrew, are you alright?"

Andrew was fine, but he took one look at Cassandra and started howling in pain. 

"I broke my collarbone!" he yelped.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and shouted, "Medic!" Quickly, she stormed back over to Varian and dragged him off by his ear.

"Ow! OW! Cassandra--OWWWW!!!" 

"I can't have in-fighting between my guards!" growled Cassandra. "You went off and attacked him for no reason and now he has a broken collarbone and can't help us fight, thanks a lot, Varian!"

"You believe that?! He didn't even start crying until you looked at him!" cried Varian. "He's faking it, he took a roll in the mud! I'm not that strong, Cassandra!"

"You knocked him off the side of an embankment, there's a difference!"

"I had a good reason!"

"Oh really? Endangering all our lives by cutting down our force by one? What was it, Varian? Please, I'd like to know!"

"I told you." Varian was still too ashamed to say what Andrew had said to him. "He was distracting me from getting the hemlock, I wanted him to shut up!"

"So punching him was the answer?"

Actually, it was pretty solid reasoning to Cassandra, but damaging her forces was one thing she didn't take lightly.

"What'd you want me to do, cry about it? I'm not a little kid anymore, Cassandra!"

"No you're not, you're an adult, I expect you to act like it!" snarled Cassandra.

"What would you have done?!" cried Varian. 

"How dare you question me!?" though, honestly, Cassandra couldn't offer a word of difference.

"I did it for _you_ , Cassandra! He was insulting _you_! What else would you have me do?!"

"Not. break. his collarbone!"

"It's not broken! And I bet the medic will tell you the same after he's examined!"

It was just then that Cassandra noticed that Varian had grown taller than her by a few inches, it made her feel a bit small, being in this enclosed space with him. She crossed her arms, issuing a non-verbal challenge for him to stay back. He paid no heed, taking a step forward into her space.

"Cassandra--"

Suddenly the medic burst in.

"Lord Commandress," the medic took a deep bow. "A word about the prisoner?"

"This isn't over." she hissed, throwing a glare at Varian before exiting the tent. 

"I have wrapped his collarbone, he insists its broken but he still has full-range of motion. All I have is his pain level to go by, he keeps howling about it and saying he's in terrible pain."

Cassandra nodded. "I see. How long until he heals?"

"Like all broken bones, around 6 weeks."

Cassandra grimaced. "Anything shorter?"

"I can't heal bones at will, Lord Commandress." said the medic sadly.

"Wonderful! Just great!" cried Cassandra, throwing up her hands. "Have one of the other guards help attend to him." she snorted, turning on her heel and going back into the tent.

"Now we got a wounded one walking among us, happy now? That's going to slow us down!"

"And I'd do it AGAIN if I had half a chance! In fact, why don't go I in there and break it for him for real?!" Varian exploded.

"You will do no such thing! You've caused enough trouble! God, Varian, I've half a mind to send you back to the dungeon and go after this thing by myself without any of you!!! It'd be lots faster and there would be only one casualty!"

"I don't get why you're getting so bent out of shape over me defending your honor!"

"My honor doesn't need defending!" she cried. "Can you just stop being useless?! Or we'll all end up like your Dad!"

In the heat of the moment, Cassandra hadn't realized the gravity of what she just said. She watched the fight slowly drift out of Varian.

"Fine, Cassandra... I'll stop." he said sadly.

"Thank you." she left the tent.

Up until then, Varian had felt like all of this had had a point... he had felt so victorious just moments before, but now... now he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. She was right, he was useless. He had been useless to his Dad, and now he was dead because of it, not encased in amber, not waiting for him back home... permanently _dead_ , no return.

He fought the urge to drop to his knees and start screaming for his Dad. No... Varian had a better idea...

~*~*~*~

The rest of the day progressed with no further problems, so when Cassandra retired to her tent for the night, she didn't expect Varian to be standing there with a vial.

"Hey Cassandra." he smiled at her.

"Hey." he greeted him non-chalantly, starting to remove the worrisome parts of her armor.

"I got good news." 

"What's that?"

"I think the potion is cured, it should send the Dragon off to a happy permanent slumber and then we can sneak in and get your Dad back."

"That's great."

"I also found a test subject." he said softly.

She blinked. "That was fast... what is it?"

He chuckled. "More like _who_."

Cassandra glanced at him worriedly. "What do you mean? Who did you poison?"

"Nobody that didn't deserve it." 

The chuckling was really getting to her. 

"Varian, who did you poison?! If it's Andrew, I'll--"

"I didn't touch Andrew." he broke in. "Like I said, it was a very _deserving_ subject. None of the guards, or Andrew, I assure you."

Cassandra clutched her throat.

"Was it me?!"

"What do you think?" he asked, his voice oddly steady. "You really believe I'd hurt you?"

"I think I feel fine... right now." she looked worried.

He held out the vial to her. "This contains the antidote."

Quickly, she grabbed it from him and had drained half the vial when she heard him say.

"Now, when I start to lose consciousness, administer the antidote."

"WHAT?!" she exploded, looking from Varian, to the vial and back again.

"Y-You heard me..." he faltered. "A good alchemist isn't worth his salt unless he can test his own products... or at least that's what my Dad used to say."

Varian began to waver on his feet.

"You poisoned yourself?!"

"Y-Yeah, Cassandra... i-it's okay... I-I'll be fine as long as you administer the antidote... in... time..." she watched in horror as he dropped to the ground.

"Oh God, Varian!" she cried, kneeling beside him. She looked at the vial in her hand, there was only a little of the potion left. His words haunted her. " _You really believe I'd hurt you_?" 

She should have known better. 

"Oh my God, Varian..." she dropped the remaining potion into his mouth and waited.

No response.

"Varian, come on! Wake up! Varian!!!" she shook him and watched as some of the potion dribbled out of the corner of his mouth.

"You can't be serious!" she cried. "You can't die _now_ , you have to help me!"

His breathing was getting slower and slower. She realized then that she had probably drank the half of the potion that would've helped him. Suddenly she had a thought, a thought that made her brain burn, but a thought nonetheless.

"Well, if it works in Fairy Tales..." she sighed, leaning down and muttering, "You'd better appreciate this, kid." before kissing Varian.

~*~*~*~

All his life he had heard that the afterlife was a matter of stepping into the light, never had he heard anything about receiving a red-hot kiss before one entered into the light. But if this was part of the bargain, it wasn't half bad.

" _What angel is this_?" he thought lazily, reaching up and winding his fingers into her hair.

Cassandra was caught off-guard, never in a million years had she ever thought he would _return_ her kiss. Yeah sure, maybe a million years ago when he'd had that crush on her, but not now... and certainly not in a way that made her stomach do flip-flops. Quickly, she pulled away from him and wiped her mouth. 

The boy beneath her gazed up at her with a lazy grin, "I didn't realize angels came without halos." he panted.

Cassandra glared. "I should kill you." she turned away from him.

As he slowly sat up, Varian realized something, not only had Cassandra administered the remaining antidote, but she had taken it upon herself to make sure he had gotten _all_ of the potion in his system. Yes, it would take awhile to work fully and it didn't reverse the sedative properties (he hadn't fully figured out how to do that), but it at least reversed the dying process.

Cassandra had saved his life. His mind was unable to process that, the same Cassandra that thought he was nothing but a nuisance had come through and saved his life. Of course that didn't automatically remedy the shortness of breath and the swirling of his head.

"Varian?" she asked, glancing over at him.

Varian sat there, panting heavily. "T-There's... some more antidote... o-over there."

Cassandra saw a large bottle on the table. " _You couldn't have told me that before I had to kiss you_?!" she thought incredulously.

"I... I made it... i-in case..." he clutched his chest.

"Varian!" Quickly, she grabbed the bottle and got it to him. Varian turned it up and drank it, only then did he feel his heart stop hammering against his chest.

"Nnngh... Cas..." he moaned, lying back against the wall of the tent. 

She could be mad at him later, right now he needed someone to make sure he got every last drop of the antidote. 

"What do you need, Varian?" she asked softly, gazing into his eyes.

"To be quiet..." he rasped. "Th-The poison... i-its still... t-trying to work... m-my heart's not... fully back yet." 

She put a hand to his forehead, she noticed he was burning up. 

"Does it cause a fever too?"

He nodded. "A-All poisons do." 

"Varian, have you eaten anything today?"

Varian tried to think if he had, he couldn't remember. He shook his head. 

"That's why it's pulled such a whammy on you, you took it on an empty stomach!"

"O-Oh yeah... t-that could..." he trailed off, nodding weakly.

She searched in her rations for something to eat.

"Here." she waved a small bit of bread in front of him. "You need this. It'll absorb the poison."

He smiled at her. "Y-You know about that?"

She nodded. "I learned a few things in the orphanage." 

He chewed on the bread thoughtfully. It tasted better than their normal rations.

"W-Where'd you get this?"

"The last thing I bought in town before we set out here." said Cassandra. "It beats hard tack."

He nodded wearily, at least his heart was no longer racing. He still felt odd, though, like he might break if someone touched him.

"Y-You know..." he began. "I-If you hadn't got there in time, I-I wouldn't have been mad..."

She gazed at him incredulously before turning away again.

"Cas--"

Her shoulders were shaking, she was crying. He had scared her.

" _Nice going, smart guy_ " he chided himself. 

"Cassandra, I-I'm--"

"You're sorry?!" she exploded. "Do you think that makes it okay?! I just lost my Dad, I didn't want to watch someone _else_ die!!!"

Varian felt horrible. "I didn't m-meant to make you worry." he tried. "I-I just... I wanted to make myself useful."

"By murdering yourself?!"

"N-Not murder... more... a-accidental." Varian felt horrible in more ways than one. "B-Besides, m-my Dad u-used to.. do that s-sort of thing all the time, he never got ill."

"Did YOU?!" she cried.

"N-No..." he muttered, trying to catch his breath. It was the first time he'd ever done anything like that, and since there was no real way to measure the amount, he assumed the cooking spoonful he had consumed would do nothing more than make him light-headed. Boy was he wrong!

"H-How did you think I would feel?!" she cried.

He shrugged. "I dunno... Relieved?"

She looked horrified, then she remembered her words from a few hours before. Had he actually thought she wanted him dead?!

"Varian...?" she asked unsurely.

He looked away. "It's okay, Cassandra." he mumbled. "I... I was going to test it myself anyway... I'm just saying... if you hadn't gotten there... I wouldn't be mad." he closed his eyes and leaned back.

It was then that she realized just how tired the young boy was, not just from the poison... but of life in general. He was tired of ignored, abused, pushed to the wayside, tired of being alive. Long ago, before Cassandra was adopted, she remembered the feeling. It was distant now, but it was a feeling she had never wanted to return to. Being confronted with it again wasn't pleasant, it was one thing to fight it, but it was far more terrifying to accept it, which is what Varian had almost done. She touched his cheek.

"You think you don't matter?"

He shrugged. "Not really. Not anymore." he said sadly. "I-If I did... I wouldn't be here. My Dad would still be alive... I would've never..." he trailed off. "Things would be different. But it all started because in the long run, I don't matter. My feelings, my accomplishments... me... it doesn't matter... Cas."

She wanted to slap him, _hard_ , but ultimately realized that would do more damage than words ever could. He had a brilliant mind and he was honest-to-God trying to be better, but along the way she had forgotten that the happy-go-lucky boy she had known had feelings. Feelings that were just as raw as the day he had tried to kill her in Old Corona. She grasped his hand.

"Look, I don't always think when I speak. What I said was really bad..." she sighed. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

"I-It's okay--"

"NO, it's not okay, Varian." she grasped his hand tighter. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." 

He had never had anyone apologize to him before, it was strange... a foreign concept. He didn't know how to accept it. 

"I-I..." 

Something broke inside Varian.

"I-I'm s-sorry too." he stammered. "I'm sorry for trying to kill you. I'm sorry for scaring you. I d-didn't mean to make you cry." his voice wavered. "I-I wouldn't have hurt A-Andrew but he... he said awful things about you, Cassandra!" 

"What did he say?" she was touching his cheek, he couldn't help but lean in.

"H-He said th-that tr-trying to kill you... must've felt good. It didn't! It never felt good! None of that _ever_ felt good..." That was the boy she had known, it was good to see him again after all these years.

"He said that to you?" she asked, shocked.

"It takes a lot to get me to actually land a punch." said Varian shakily. "But with him... it was easy."

"You know... I didn't think I'd say this... but thank you." she whispered, hugging him.

Varian closed his eyes, she was the first person in a long time to actually hug him. He relished the feel of it for a moment before responding with his own hug. The feel of her in his arms was amazing, he hadn't really realized she'd feel so.. soft. Suddenly he realized something... Cassandra had kissed him. He pulled back slightly, looking in her eyes.

There it was again, the flip-flops in her stomach. " _Quiet, you_." she chided herself.

"Cassandra, earlier... you.. we... um..." suddenly his words failed him and he was rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"I thought you had poisoned me and I was making sure you got all the antidote. I didn't know you had a whole bottle on the table." she explained. "That was why..."

He looked crestfallen. "I... understand." 

She didn't realize how bad his disappointment would make her feel. She was prepared to nobly back away, but found that tonight she didn't want to. All she wanted to be was a girl... even Lord Commandresses had those moments, right?

"However, if you're still feeling bad..." she began. "I think I still have some left."

His grin lit up the tent.

"S-Sure, I-I could use some."

She snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him again. Tonight, titles didn't matter, she was just Cassandra, he was just Varian, and they just wanted to make each other happy.


	6. Requited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra has a secret, but can she keep it so? Also, Andrew's downright evil. Sorry 'bout it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this while listening to Jeremy Jordan's rendition of "At last" and laughed for five minutes straight. XD

The next day, Varian awoke with Cassandra's head on his shoulder. He felt better, a ton better than he had the night before actually... both physically and emotionally. He could breathe again, and the girl he loved was in his arms. What could be better?

Of course, that was before the bugle sounded.

Peaceful reverie broken, Cassandra's head shot up.

"Oh my God, what time is it?!" she hissed.

"Morning, beautiful." 

Cassandra's heart melted as he kissed her forehead.

"M-Morning..." she stammered, a little shyly. It had been a long time since someone had called her beautiful, at least in _that_ context. She gave him a smile before getting up and moving around the tent, a tent he now thought of as their own space. He sighed, wishing they could just spend the morning together, but they couldn't and track the dragon. In fact...

"Um, Cas?" he asked, getting to his feet. "What... what do we do?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, putting her armor back on.

"I-I mean... um..." he hedged. " _About us_." he added mentally.

"What do you mean, what do we d--Oh.. OH." she suddenly realized what he was talking about. "We go out like nothing has happened."

He blinked. "H-How is that?"

"Simple, we don't tell them." she shrugged.

"B-But... w-won't they... know? I mean, we can't exactly _avoid_ each other..."

Cassandra burst out laughing. "It's not like its painted on our foreheads." she grinned. "But maybe if you could stop grinning?"

"I'm sorry, I really can't." he apologized."

She rolled her eyes. "Not avoid." she explained. "Just... play it cool. Like everything is still the same between us."

Varian didn't know if he could comply or not. "B-But it isn't--er--it is--right?"

Cassandra squeezed his hand. "Everything's fine between us... we just have a secret that they don't have to know about, is all." 

"Oh... _Oh_ , so... it's our secret?"

"Whose else would it be?" she giggled. "Besides, it's a battlefield, not a ladies' lunch. Even if you went out there and shouted it from the rooftops, no one's going to care. They might give you a hard time about it, but they're not going to care."

"S-Sorry." he stammered. "I just... I-I've never... um..." 

She grinned. "Not like I've ever had this situation myself on the battlefield." she shrugged. "But there it is."

"Okay, so we.. play it cool. Alright." said Varian. "I think I can do that."

"I'm counting on you." she leveled.

"Alright." he assured her.

She left the tent first, he watched her go with baited breath. He didn't know what he was expecting exactly, he guessed he assumed their new bond was obvious, but it wasn't. No, the rest of the guards greeted her as normal and Cassandra did the same. Varian took a deep breath and slunk out of the tent behind her, hoping no one would notice the fact that he couldn't exactly stop grinning, especially when he looked in Cassandra's direction.

Cassandra kept her eyes downcast for the most part, yes, she was better at playing the part than Varian was, but that didn't mean that on the inside she wasn't glowing. It had been awhile since a guy had made her swoon, since someone had been worthy enough to make her swoon. Her younger self would've been appalled, but back then, she hadn't known the kind of guy he would grow into. He was sweet, and kind, and not threatened by her at all. A rarity in itself.

But as good as it felt, she couldn't revel in it. What happened in the tent, stayed in the tent. Her first responsibility was to Corona and her Dad, when the dragon was dead, she could worry about feelings. But... how to tell Varian of that? " _Poor kid_." she thought. " _He's not gonna know what hit him_." Indeed he wouldn't, now she had to let him down gently and there was no really good way to do that. Especially when there was a side of her that wanted to rebel and be with him anyway. Normally, she would've taken the chance, but Varian was still a Prisoner of Corona, technically. He didn't get pardoned until the Dragon was dead. 

" _Maybe then_..." she thought wistfully. This was crazy, he was still a criminal! Suddenly her mind went to war with her heart, and it instantly put her in a bad mood. " _Cassandra, you are a Class A idiot_." chided her inner voice. She shouldn't have allowed herself to become attached to him like that, besides, he was younger than her! Although, she had heard that prison ages a person, and last night he had acted just as mature as any of the guards that were her age or older. Besides... she was allowed to have some things for herself, right? 

" _The only one who'd really mind is my Dad and he's... he's_..." her Dad was dead, and she had just hooked up with a criminal. She was the picture of an emotional wreck. No, no she wasn't. She was still Lord Commandress, she still had things under control. " _Deep breaths, Cassandra_."

"So... this is how we play it, eh?" said Varian under his breath as he sidled up to her.

"The less anyone suspects, the better." she replied, not looking up.

"Well, what about when they're not looking?" he asked. 

Cassandra blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Like now, they're not looking, can't we act normally?"

"Oh... y-yeah, for the most part." she said.

Varian looked around, the rest of the guards were all the way on the other side of camp, no one was paying attention to them. "Then.. I guess no one minds if I do this." he said softly, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head on her shoulder, she couldn't help but giggle. "Stop that!" she chided, nudging him off. "We can't be seen like that."

Varian looked a little hurt. "Why not?"

"Because... you're still technically a prisoner." she reasoned. 

"And you're a guard..." he sighed. "I mean, I get it, but..." he made a high keening noise.

"Okay ground rules." said Cassandra. "Whatever happens in the tent, stays in the tent."

"Aye aye, Cap'n." grinned Varian.

Cassandra bit back a smile. "When we're alone, and I do mean completely alone, then we can drop the act. Until then--"

"Guard and prisoner. Got it."

She gave him a dubious look. "Are you sure?"

"Anything for you, Cassandra." he said seriously, gazing into her eyes. She almost lost her resolve right there, he was surprisingly good at this.

"Anything?"

He nodded. "Well, with the exception of straw into gold... that's an old alchemist joke, the formula doesn't actually exist."

"Really?" she giggled. "That's the only thing you ever really hear about Alchemy."

Varian hung his head and groaned. "I know, it's awful!"

"So... what kind of things do you actually do?"

"Have you got a couple hundred years?"

"Well no, but, I wouldn't mind knowing a couple of things. It looks... neat."

No girl had ever been anything other than scared by his knowledge of Alchemy, his heart exploded with pride. "Th-That's... the first time anybody's ever said that to me." h said giddily.

She smiled. "I don't have to be a genius to admire the end result, right?"

"Of course not." he grinned, crossing the distance between them and gathering her in his arms. "Come on, you can help me gather the remaining ingredients for the potion." 

"Alright." she giggled, forgetting where she was. "So what're we looking for?"

"Dragonsbane. It usually grows around here." noted Varian. "My Dad brought me here once to gather some." 

"What's it look like?"

He took out the leatherbound volume again, showing her a picture of a plant that was reminiscent of dragon scales, grayish green with a bright red stem. "It grows close to the water's edge, but you have to be careful when plucking it, it's kind of like poison ivy, if you touch it with bare hands you get a nasty rash. Same goes for if the sap drips onto you."

Cassandra grimaced. "So.. how do we get it?"

"Well, I have the gloves, but I need my..." Varian felt around in his pockets. "Where are the pruning shears I had?"

"I could go back to the tent and check." offered Cassandra.

"Would you?" he asked. "It's a really nasty rash."

"Sure." she kissed his cheek before rushing off. Varian sighed with a combination of relief and delight. 

Suddenly he heard slow clapping behind him. 

It was Andrew, and he was giving him a round of applause.

"Wow, we really are the same, aren't we? Must say, can't exactly fault your taste.. she was a good little slice of action, for awhile."

"Don't you _dare_ talk that way bout her!" Varian growled.

"Aw, jealous I got there first?"

Varian's eyes narrowed, then he shrugged. "Of course not. I'm just glad you left. Made room for the real man."

"And someday I'm sure Cas'll say the same about you!" crowed Andrew. "Come on kid, you know she can't possibly really feel anything for you, right?"

"What do you know?!" cried Varian.

"I know how she pretended to be in love with me so she could bust me." Andrew smirked. "She was convincing too. Had me believing every word, we even got to Herz d'sonne's book... and then she pulled a knife on me." he sighed nostalgically. "But you wouldn't know a thing about the way women actually work, would you kid?"

"I thought you had a broken collarbone." Varian spat. "You seem awfully chipper for somebody who's in terrible pain."

Andrew noted the bandage on his arm. "Yeah, this baby's been giving me trouble." he played up the strain in his voice. "But... you know, since we're on the same side of the fence, kid, I thought I'd help you out."

"I don't need your help." 

"Trust me, when she turns on you, you'll need a friend. Unless you have a death wish... in which case... good luck, because as we all know, criminals head to Zhan Tiri's realm when we die."

Varian stepped back, he had heard the tales about Zhan Tiri, and even though as a man of science he didn't exactly believe in them, that didn't make them any less chilling. There was no proof one way or another whether they existed or not, that was the most frightening thing about the afterlife. No one knew.

"There's no proof of that." he challenged.

Andrew smiled. "No proof either way, really... but I tell you, if I get there first? I'll save you a seat."

Varian watched him walk away, fists clenched. There was no way Andrew's collarbone was broken... he would prove it. He just had to figure out a way to do it without violating Cassandra's orders.

Speaking of Cassandra...

"So what did the wailing wonder want?" she asked.

"Just to remind me of how I broke his collarbone." grumbled Varian. He could tell Cassandra what had happened, but he didn't want to worry her.

"That was his own fault." muttered Cassandra, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the shears. "Here you go."

Gratefully, Varian took them from her. It was then that he decided that if Cassandra was the only angel he ever met, he'd be okay with it.


	7. Drought of the living death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian brews a potion that is illegal to make, in all kingdoms, but he does it for the greater good... but what will that greater good cost him?

"God, what is that awful smell?!" cried Stan, waving his hand in front of his face. The entire camp smelled like rotting fish. "And what does Cassandra have to say about this?"

"Dragonsbane." said Varian proudly. "Oh, she's in the tent... told me to call her when it stopped smelling like death around here."

Pete gaped at him. "D-Dragonsbane, but that's--"

"That's to attract the dragon." he explained.

"Are you crazy?!" cried Stan.

"No, its to lace the poison with so the dragon will take it willingly." he continued. "That way, no one has to die trying to slay it."

Stan and Pete looked at each other, the kid was onto something.

"Is it always gonna smell like that?" gagged Pete.

"No, once it starts really cooking it smells sweet, then it doubles in toxicity to humans. That's why I'm brewing it outside."

"Won't that attract the dragon to us though?!" 

"Good thinking!" Varian put a lid on the pot. "Now, I have to go get more... would you two make sure this pot stays out in the open while I go down to the riverbank to do that?"

"Sure kid." said Stan. 

Varian dashed off to the riverbank to get more dragonsbane before sundown. On the way, he passed Andrew who had picked a whole bunch of wintergreen berries and was stuffing his face with them. Varian had once did the same thing as a child and it handed ended in disaster. The only reason he opened his mouth was so that Cassandra's force wouldn't be diminished any more than it already was.

"Hey, you know, you shouldn't be eating an entire bucket like that--" began Varian.

"Why, because the rest of you losers want them?" snarled Andrew. "'Scuse me, I picked these berries myself, get your own." 

"Fine then." snorted Varian.

~*~*~*~

"THAT ONE'S MINE!!!" cried one of the Stabbington Brothers as the other one grabbed his rations.

Of course, it took almost the entire guard to pull them apart. No one was watching as Andrew took the cauldron off the fire and set the now lidless pot just inside Cassandra's tent, he lifted her sword, then made it a point to close it from the outside.

No one had thought he was listening earlier when Varian explained how toxic the dragonsbane was. Now as it was cooling down it would do its work, and the guard would have to disband because they had no leader... he couldn't very well follow the orders of a leader who was dead, could he?

Yes, Andrew had been listening when Varian had told Stan and Pete of the Dragonsbane properties, that's why he had told the younger Stabbington brother that the older one didn't mind if he got his rations for the day. A few minor injuries for the greater good.

" _I'm on my way, Lady Caine_." he thought pleasantly as he went to his own tent to prepare to run.

~*~*~*~

"What's that smell?" Cassandra wondered aloud, having just woken up from a little nap she took. Varian had been sweet to cover for her. Whatever it was would make great perfume, suddenly she spied the open pot of Dragonsbane.

"Now how did that get in here?" She picked it up and wandered to the entrance of the tent only to find it closed from the outside.

"Varian?" she called, tugging at the edge of the tent, it wouldn't come up. "VARIAN!!!" but all she heard was the roar of in-fighting outside. No one could hear over that.

"STAN!! PETE!!!" she cried, hoping one of them may've been passing by. But to no avail. She looked around for her sword, but it was nowhere to be found and now the scent was making her lightheaded.

"Oh... God..." she whimpered, trying to pry up the edge of the tent, anything to let some fresh air in. "VARIAN!!! STAN!!! PETE!!! HELP!!!" she cried.

Suddenly she remembered--her dagger! Quickly she stabbed a hole in the side of the tent and cut a Cassandra-sized hole in it, she forced her way out, gagging and coughing. What she saw when she got outside was complete chaos! Half the guard was trying to hold back one Stabbington Brother while the other half was trying to hold back the other one.

" _If Raps were here this would only take a frying pan to the head for one side to win_." she thought miserably, rushing down to the fray. But something was wrong, her head still felt light, too light.

"NNgh." she groaned, grasping the side of her head.

"GIVE US A HAND, CASS!" cried Stan.

Cassandra wavered on her feet, and charged forward anyway. Realistically, the battle only lasted a few minutes, but it felt like everything was slowed down. After a spectacular struggle, Pete asked, "Are you okay, Cassandra?"

"Mm? Yeah, I'm fine." she nodded, feeling slightly nauseous. "I-I'm gonna go wash my face."

"Alright." said Pete worriedly as he watched her disappear downhill.

That was the last thing Cassandra remembered.

~*~*~*~

Varian had just pulled the last of the Dragonsbane successfully.

"Finally!" he breathed. Now he could make the rest of the batch to bait the dragon with. He had started up the hill, when suddenly a guard appeared and lunged for him. It wasn't Stan or Pete, rather.. it was Dungeon Dave.

Dungeon Dave was the not-so-friendly guard they had down in the dungeons late at night. They had brought him along to keep the more unruly prisoners in line and now he was being hauled up the hill by his collar by the guy.

"Gaaah, Dave! What gives?!" cried Varian.

But there was no answer, rather he was tossed down in front of a mob of angry guards.

"Why'd you do it, kid?!" demanded Dave.

"W-What do you mean?" stammered Varian. "Why'd I do what, I've been down at the riverbank the whole time."

"We found this cauldron in her tent." growled another guard. "It's filled with dragonsbane and now Cassandra ain't feelin' so good. So tell us why you did it, or else you might end up fallin' on a sword."

Varian swallowed hard. "S-Stan and Pete can b-back me up! I-I promise, I was down at the riverbank getting more Dragonsbane so we could kill the dragon! I don't know h-how the cauldron got in the tent, I swear!" he didn't mean to stammer, but this was all happening so fast. And Cassandra, what was wrong with Cassandra?!

Before he could ask, a third guard appeared, one that looked worse for wear...

"D-Dave... th-the kid may be onto s-something..." panted the bedraggled guard.

"What's wrong, Wilhelm?"

"A-Andrew... h-he got away."

Suddenly they realized Wilhelm was holding his shoulder, he was bleeding.

"Wilhelm!" Dave and the other guard caught him before he could fall.

"Take me to Cassandra!" cried Varian.

"I don't think so, kid!" snapped Dungeon Dave, "You're the reason she's in this mess!"

"I can HELP her!" he protested. "And if you don't believe me, why don't you have Stan and Pete take me to her?"

"They ain't gonna leave you alone with her, kid. Not after this!"

"I didn't ask to be left alone with her, I asked to see her so I could see what's wrong and help her. I want to clean up my own mess, okay?!"

Stan and Pete accompanied him, stone faced, to the tent where Cassandra lay. Varian knelt beside her, shaking his head.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered, stroking her forehead.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Ugh... what happened to me?"

"You got some of the fumes from the Dragonsbane, _somehow_." he muttered. "They're very toxic, Cass. I really don't know how that cauldron ended up in this tent, but Andrew got away, and--"

"He what?!" she cried. "Ugggh, get me my sword! I'll--" but as soon as she sat up her head spun. "Oooh..."

"You can't right now." he frowned. "But don't worry, Dungeon Dave is on it."

"Dungeon Dave couldn't find bimberries with bloodhounds!" moaned Cassandra. "That's why we keep him in the dungeon!"

Varian grasped her hand. "Then I'll help him."

Pete nudged Stan, they exchanged glances. It was obvious something was up here.

"N-No, Varian, Andrew will eat you alive."

Varian shook his head. "No, Cas, I think I oughta be the one to help find him. To remind him of just who he's dealing with."

She looked at him worriedly. "But... I can't go with you right now."

"I'll be okay, Cassandra." 

The way they were looking at each other made it obvious to both Stan and Pete that they had missed something, something huge. Pete caught Stan's eye and mouthed the words, " _Are they..._?" to which Stan nodded. Pete facepalmed ever so slightly. He didn't know how on earth they were going to explain this to the Captain if they ever found him alive, fortunately it wasn't exactly their job--however they felt sorry for the two, because it wasn't an offense suffered lightly by Coronian forces, _or_ the Captain of the Guard.

"We'll go with him, me, Pete, Landon, and Dungeon Dave."

Cassandra started to argue, but realized with a broken collarbone, Andrew couldn't have gotten far.

"Aright, but if you can't find him by tomorrow night at sundown... come back. We still have to finish tracking the dragon."

"Yes, Lord Commandress." 

"Stan, Pete, give us a minute." ordered Cassandra.

"W-We can't." stammered Pete. "T-They think--"

Cassandra turned at him and glared. "Excuse me, last time I checked I still gave the orders. GIve. us. a. minute." she ordered.

Stan ushered Pete outside quickly, away from Cassandra's wrath. 

"You can't go after Andrew!" she urged. "He'll kill you!"

"With four guards backing me up, I think I've got a chance." said Varian. "Besides... I think I know his weakness."


End file.
